Ayurnamat
by gmoney480
Summary: Ayurnamat-The philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed In a world where the first words your soulmate ever says to you are inscribed on your skin the day you are born, you hope that either or both of you have very specific marks. If not, who knows who your soulmate could be? A Kalicia Soulmate Mark AU, full summary inside


A/N So I feel as if this is a reoccurring pattern. I wanted to read a Kalicia soulmate fic, but unfortunately there isn't one out there of this particular type (there's one about Alicia being part Vulcan- read it it's awesome!) so I guess I'm writing one. May be a little slow, but will continue to update! Tell me how I'm doing! Reviews and CONSTRUCTIVE (not flames) criticism help me be a better writer, which in the end helps you! If you see any mistakes let me know! Enjoy!

Chapter 1

* * *

><p>Ayurnamat - The philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed.<p>

In a world where the first words your soulmate ever says to you are inscribed on your skin the day you are born, you hope that either or both of you have very specific marks. If not, who knows who your soulmate could be? People who are misfortunate enough to have words such as _hi, how are you_ and_ what's up_ inscribed onto their skin resolve to never utter that phrase when meeting someone new, for fear of accidentally meeting their soulmate and never knowing it. It can be tricky dealing with a vague set of words. Even worse is the script and color are equally random, and just because one soulmate has an unusual mark doesn't mean the other will. Although, 99% of all matched soulmates have words located on either the left or right forearm. If there is any significance in the placement, the 1% for the most part are keeping knowledge like that to themselves. People muddle along as best as they can, and hope they correctly chose the person who they believe to be their soulmate. But sometimes, they choose wrong.

* * *

><p>Alicia met Peter at a party in the spring of her second year of law school at Georgetown. She didn't even want to go that much, but her friend Will convinced her to go. She decided to wear her favorite red top and a pair of black pants (she's one of the few whose soulmate marks aren't visible and doesn't worry about clashing or wearing something to cover them up. They're a light tan, scrolling along her back, right above her heart. Sometimes she wonders if that is mere coincidence, or symbolism for something more.) They had barely walked through the door when Will saw someone he knew from the baseball team and headed over to say hi, promising to be back in a minute.<p>

In the meantime, Alicia decided that if she was going to have to deal with all these people she wasn't going to be sober and walked the keg. She was reaching for a newly made drink when her hand bumped into someone else's. She looked up and found herself across from a boy that she had shared one of her classes with this semester. They've never talked before, and she could never quite remember his name.

"I'm sorry, you take it," Alicia exclaimed.

The boy grinned. "Don't worry, it's yours," he said.

They both paused. "You don't happen to have those words do you?" she asked.

He smiled. "Finally! I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to meet you." He extended out his arm. "My name's Peter Florrick."

"Alicia Cavanaugh," she said with a shy smile, trying to be heard over the loud roar of the music. She clasped his hand in hers. Thankfully he was taller than her (what can she say, she liked heels) and had brown perfectly coifed hair. He was wearing a light blue short sleeve button down and black shorts. "I think I've had a few law classes with you."

He still hasn't let go of her hand. It's nice, but at the same time with the lights and the music she's feeling a little claustrophobic (they've only just met) , and once he notices her looking down he let's go.

They went and found a quiet place to talk, just trying to learn about the person that the universe deemed to be their best match. Alicia found out that Peter's an only child, is in his final year of law school, and wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, career wise, and become a defense attorney. In return she told him about her own aspirations, her brother Owen who was just starting college next year, some childhood stories from before her parents got divorced (soulmate or not she'd just met him; better not to get into the heavy topics on the first date). It turned out they both hailed from Chicago and had a few mutual childhood friends, small world.

All of a sudden there was a loud crash followed what sounded to be the tail ends of a fight. Alicia looked over her shoulder to see two frat boys walking away from each other, both slightly bruised and bloody but nothing permanent. She looked back to see a sheepish look appear on Peter's face.

"I'm so sorry to cut the conversation short, but that's my roommate and he has the keys to get back to the apartment. Talk to you more after class Wednesday?" He asked, a look of hope on her face.

She nodded. "Best of luck!"

Peter smiled in relief and turned around into the mass of bodies and headed towards the door.

She smiled. She was top of her class, was already receiving job offers from a few law firms, and had finally met her soulmate. Looks like her future was really shaping up to be great.

* * *

><p><em>20 Years Later<em>

Alicia wasn't entirely sure what happened. She and Peter started off so well, and yet somehow everything had fallen apart. She knew her marriage wasn't perfect, but she never knew it was this bad until that day she was standing in line for her laundry and heard her name on CNBC and looked up to see Peter's face and the words branding 'Yet Another Corrupt Chicago Politician.' He didn't even have the decency to warn her of the impending calamity.

Luckily she still has a few friends, still has Will, even though they aren't as close as they used to be and haven't talked much over the past few years, but he still was kind enough to give her a job after 13 years away from the law. It's a chance, and that's all she needs.

She's off to a rocky start. She's constantly stared at, looks of pity or contempt or judgment in the eyes of everyone she meets. Everyone knows who she is, has their own opinion on a story not their own. She just wants a fresh start, but she guesses it was too much to hope for.

She's going back to court for the first time in 12 years, and she has so little time to prep. Her head is spinning and she's not drowning (yet) but the water is exactly at her head.

She's walking toward her new office, files in had (and holy crap there are a lot in here how is she supposed to read them all _in a few hour. _She can speed read with the best of them, she was top of her class at Georgetown for a reason, but this is something else) when some kid offers to help carry her files. He holds out his hand and introduces himself as Carry Agos.

"I know we should be at each other's throats but I just want to say I really respect what you're doing here, raising a family then jumping back into this. My mom she's thinking of doing the same thing."

So he's that kind of person; brownnoser, fresh out of law school and trying to make everyone like him. She's familiar with the type, has been dealing with those kinds of people for years, both before the Scandal and after.

He's not very good at it.

"Great." Alicia she says non-committedly, giving a slightly sardonic smile, her eyebrows slightly lifted.

"Yeah, so you're on the pro bono right?"

"Mhm."

"That's great I interned last summer at the Innocence Project, my dad's best friend is Berry Scheck and it was just amazing. Helping people. Here they just got me on the Schifrin Marks case and I'm sure it'll be challenging but at the end of the day what have you really done? Saved the corporation a few billion dollars?"

The lies just drip from his lips like honey (there's a kernel of truth, but then again all the best lies originate in truth). He reminds her of Peter, trying to make everyone think he's the good guy. Of course he doesn't want to be on a pro-bono case. There isn't any money involved and for a hungry 28 year old, that's all that matters. She gives him a razor sharp smile and calls his bluff. "Want to trade?"

He's silent, a hesitant look on his face. Most people only ever see Peter. They forget that she's the one writing his speeches, the one that had an extremely successful law career and only quit for her children, the person who was his chief advisor in political matters. If Peter's indiscretion taught her anything, it's to be more aware of the agenda of the people around her.

"I would, but I guess I have other plans."

A woman with a file cart goes by, never stopping. "I'm almost done, Carry, the latte is on your desk. Mrs. Florrick."

Carry gives her back the files. "We share an assistant, so tell her when I'm hogging her, Ok? And let the best man win."

Now she's confused, what does that mean? "Excuse me?"

"Ah, let the…." He trails off and stares for a moment. He shakes his head. "Nothing."

Well that was an interesting experience. She heads into the office, only to find it already occupied.

_"Oops."_ As if this day wasn't stressful enough, she now has to find her actual office. She looks at the name on the door. It's hers.

The woman sitting in the office shifts slightly.

_"Don't worry it's yours"_ was the brief response. Alicia stills, then makes herself relax. It was probably nothing. She's heard that phrase a few times in her life, and nothing in the other woman's demeanor has changed. The woman wearing long sleeves anyway. It's just a coincidence.

"Ah."

The woman is absolutely stunning, with dark black hair and caramel colored skin. She stands up and makes eye contact, something calculating in her gaze. It feels like a laser, trying to crack her open and see what's inside, make her vulnerable and exposed. What is she trying to find? There are butterflies in Alicia's stomach (nerves at meeting someone new). "Kalinda Sharma." She introduces herself. "I'm the in-house."

"Oh the investigator!" She smiles (a rarity lately).

She shakes the other woman's hand. (Her hands are so tiny; Alicia's completely dwarfs Kalinda's she notes in the back of her mind).

"You're Peter Florrick's wife," Kalinda states.

"That's right."

"I worked with him in the State's Attorney's office 3 years. He fired me." She's just realizing now that neither have released of the other's hand yet. She let's go of the other woman's palm but she can't put hers down quite yet. Kalinda holds on for a moment longer before she does the same (_they're so soft_, Alicia notes in the back of her mind. _And warm_).

"Okay." She's not sure if this is going to be a good thing, or blow up in her face. Rarely has someone been this forthright, usually dressing up their barbs with pretty, meaningless platitudes or whispered knives taking aim behind her back.

She sits down on the chair that was previously occupied and Kalinda leans back on Alicia's desk, completely at ease. "So. What do you know?" Kalinda asks, switching back to business.

"The client is a second grade teacher, Jennifer-"

"Lewis," Kalinda fills in.

"She was arrested for… killing her ex-husband?" She asks. She still hasn't been able to go over the files and was late to the meeting. All she knows is a brief summary she got from Diane.

"Making it look like a botched carjacking."

They talked a little more about the semantics of the case. Kalinda looked down at her watch, and then walked toward the door. "Coming?" she called over her shoulder. Alicia scrambled to get up, leaving the behind a pile of files at her desk, trusting Kalinda to get her up to speed.

Luckily, Stern Lockhart & Gardner were fairly close to the courthouse, so the two didn't even bother driving, choosing to enjoy the nice weather Chicago was experiencing.

"Gunshot residue was found on Jennifer's face and hands. That's why the police started thinking it was a murder disguised as a carjacking. According to them, Jennifer shot her ex-husband, then wiped down the gun."

By now they had entered the building and were moving into the elevator. It was crowded; they were all packed together like sardines. Kalinda's arm brushed against Alicia's "And the motive?"

"He remarried and wanted custody of the three year old."

Before she could ask anything else, she heard the recording of her daughter's voice repeating 'Hey mom pick up the phone, hey mom pick up the phone.'

"Sorry it's my daughter."

After a disturbing conversation with her daughter (_the scandal never ends_), she quickly catches up to Kalinda (the benefit of being half a foot taller; even with the heels Kalinda was _tiny_ and Alicia towered over her) and finds herself staring up at the words 'Courtroom 204.'

"What?" Kalinda asks, wondering what's the holdup.

"Last time I was in court it was 13 year ago."

"Wow. I was 12." Well, that certainly was not expected. Kalinda opened the door and stepped inside.

"Wow. Thanks," she mutters before taking a deep breath.

She walks inside, taking everything in. Kalinda moves to a seat in the third bench, silently watching. One of Peter's old lackeys comes up to her, another person posturing and giving empty platitudes, trying to get in her good books just in case Peter ever does get out of prison.

She finally meets Jennifer Lewis. She looks how Alicia feels, frightened and nervous. She tries to reassure her about the case, but Jennifer isn't feeling very optimistic.

The trial starts. She barely gets a word out, voice drowned out by the two men in the room. She's nervous, but at least for now it's working for her because the judge favors her. She's noticed people either love or hate Peter- no in-between- and how they see him always colors how they treat her (although now in court some who hated Peter may try and go out of their way to act overly fair towards her, and vice versa. Or not.), as if she wasn't her own person, as if she didn't exist outside of Peter.

Jennifer thanks her, but Alicia doesn't feel like she's done anything yet to deserve it.

* * *

><p>Jennifer goes with the bailiff to be fitted with the court-ordered ankle monitor before they head back to Stern, Lockhart, &amp; Gardner.<p>

"We, ah, we have the same words, but they aren't too specific and when he met his new wife they had the same words. He wanted to give them a chance, and he left us. But that night, we had a nice time. Michael talked about missing his daughter, the life we had together. He talked about how he was wrong, and that he doesn't think Cindy was it for him. He," and here her voice broke slightly. "He said he wanted to come _home._ We were driving home and um, we got a flat. He was getting out to fix it and I saw a red pickup truck. A man came up to Michael, I didn't see the gun until… and I saw Michael's face it was-" here she breaks off altogether, unable to continue.

"Do you need to take a break?"

"No," she responded quickly. "Just if there was some water?"

"Sure."

"Sonia we need some water in here"

Sonia looks up from the phone. "It's going to be about five minutes Mrs. Florrick, then I need to do this depo."

Alicia looks to the side. Of course, she's on the phone with Carry.

She heads back to the conference room to hear the tail end of Kalinda's questions. Evidently, one of the main problems is that there is a security camera in part of the parking structure from where the red pickup truck supposedly left the structure. One of the main problems is that the prosecution played the video from that night and there wasn't a red pickup in the video.

"Is it possible that the car went another way?"

Jennifer doesn't respond. She's looking at a photo of a smiling toddler, no older than 4.

"Is that your daughter?"

"They won't let me see her. Michael's parents have custody and…." she trailed off. "What am I going to do?" The despair in her voice is overwhelming.

Alicia felt a wave of sympathy for the young woman. Speaking from experience, empathy evidence in her voice, she stated, "You're going to take it one day at a time. We got you housing. You're gonna go there, take a shower, take a nap, _don't _turn on the TV. You like reading? I'm going to get you some books. You won't feel like it, but put on nice clothes and makeup. Force yourself to." From the corner of her eye, she can see Kalinda staring at her, head tilted. "For court. For you."

She finally looks up from the photo. "Does it ever get any easier?"

"No." Alicia doesn't blink. She lifts a single eyebrow. "But you do get better at it."

They walk Jennifer to the elevator, a court appointed driver to take her to her new housing. As they watch the elevator close, Kalinda turns to Alicia, staring at her, looking at her as if she was seeing a new piece of information and wasn't quite sure what to do with it yet.

"What?" She asks, a nervous laugh in her throat.

"You identify with too many clients you'll burn out."

"How about you tell me when I'm doing something right, Ok?"

"Sure. You go interview the jurists, and I'll go figure out how a security camera can lie."

Alicia giggles (she's _giggling_, when was the last time that happened?) , feeling herself being charmed in spite of her best efforts. She heads to the local hospital; one of the jurists that voted not guilty is a doctor there. A stroke of luck, she doesn't mind being interviewed.

"You don't mind asking a few questions? It'll help us refine the case for retrial."

"No problem," finally something that isn't too difficult. "Don't think you'll need much refining. Your case was very strong, very logical. I don't even know why the other side went to trial. I would have voted conviction from the start."

"Good, ah-" wait, that wasn't right. "You mean acquittal?"

"No," she corrects. "Conviction."

"But I'm with the defense…." Alicia trails off.

The doctor walked away, not speaking a word more

Interviews with the other jurists proved just as unsuccessful. It turns out the only reason why the jury deadlocked was because of one woman who exhausted their resolve. Maybe she would have _some_ luck there; some insight into why she thinks their client is not guilty.

She really needs to stop jinxing herself. The only reason their client even received a re-trial was because a crazy cat lady liked how _Diane_, not even Jennifer, conducted herself. Diane couldn't even convince her that Jennifer was innocent, it was just 'a feeling she got.'

Alicia drives back to the firm, but doesn't bother getting out of her car. She feels like she's been sold a bill of goods and is somehow expected to work as if she wasn't. She's staring at the evidence, trying to make the pieces fit in a way they could convince a jury but it's not looking good. Her phone rings, of course Jackie has some new complaint about her children. She views Will from the corner of her eye. She can't help it, she brings the phone away from her face and _growls. _Her children are off limits and Jackie is being helpful but she needs to _back. Off._

Suddenly she hears a tap on the hood of her car. Will was able to sneak up on her, and she hangs up on Jackie. She has a few questions for him.

Apparently the 'best man win' comment was because there was only one associate position open (although now she's wondering who told Carry, who's on his side because it's a competition and she _needs_ to win). According to Will, it was either "that or a cage match."

At this point Alicia would actually prefer the cage match.

"I'm just happy your pro-bono is going well," Will finishes, then bids her a good night.

Yeah. Maybe it is time for drastic action.

The next day she heads to Newgate State Prison to visit Peter. She hasn't been too many times, still unable to see the face that brought her world crashing down around her and didn't even give her the courtesy of telling her himself. She had to see it on CNBC. When he sees her he goes to give her a hug, but she's stiff in his arms and he soon lets her go. They make small talk about the bills and the kids but then Peter tries to make excuses.

"Alicia this has been hard on you but you have to believe me I'm innocent-of the abuse of office charges." She scoffs- as if _that_ is the main problem. She's almost glad he's in prison because it means she's finally in control. Almost.

"You think I give a damn about that Peter? They were playing a tape in Grace's computer lab of you sucking the toes of hooker. You think I care about the small print in your employment contract?"

"Oh come on I was set up." He has the gall to be _indignant_.

"Oh come on, Peter, I don't want to talk-" she starts to yell, but then she raises a hand and abruptly cuts herself off before she can say anything else because if she starts screaming she's not sure if she's going ever to stop. There's just too many issues, too many ways that hurt her. And he still thinks it's the abuse of office that's the issue. This is the least of his sins. She lowers her voice and continues in a calm tone (never let them see you're wounded). "I don't want to fight."

"Mom says you're on a case," he starts again, trying to handle the conversation. "The fake carjacking, right? Who's the judge?"

She decides to humor him. "Richard Cuesta."

"You're kidding. He hates me."

"I know," she responds ruefully. The loud speaker announces the end of visiting hours. She gets up, ready to leave.

Peter has one last thing to say. "You know there's something weird about that case. There's a rumor going around, that something got buried, pitted."

"What?"

"Evidence, or testimony. Something."

"Ok, thanks." She turns to leave but he takes her hand.

"Thanks for playing the breadwinner for a while but it's not going to last forever. The lawyers think the appellate court will hear my case. If they overturn it everything will go back to normal."

As if the past 6 months can all just go away, as if the pain and the humiliation never even happened and he has the _nerve_ to act like he didn't hurt her, as if her problem is going back to the law rather than why. "Peter, it's never going back to normal."

An officer escorts her back to the prison entrance. She gets into her car, and allows a single moment of self-pity. Once it passes, she takes her emotions and puts them into a box. She takes Peter's advice under consideration and goes through Discovery, looks through the each page one by one for hours until she spots it, a discrepancy in one of the pieces of evidence.

She takes out her phone and makes a call. "Kalinda, it's Alicia. I may have a new lead. When are you free?"

* * *

><p>"As soon as the cops found gunshot residue on Jennifer's hands, they had their suspect. So what if they pitted everything else?"<p>

Kalinda took out her camera and started taking photos. "And what if they didn't? Arguments are cheap." Alicia took out the piece of paper and then tapped Kalinda on the shoulder. "What's that?"

"Page one of the crime lab summary. Take a look at the top left corner."

Kalinda looked down and then stated, "It looks like a staple."

"It is a staple."

"And that's odd because?"

"There's no page two. Why do they need a staple, if there's no page two?" Alicia can almost visibly see the cogs whirring away.

"You think the cops kept something out of Discovery that pointed to another suspect," Kalinda didn't ask, she stated.

"Well either they did, or it would be helpful to imply in court that they did."

"It's two days before trial and you're thinking of dropping the old strategy?"

"Diane barely convinced a _cat lady_ to acquit," Alicia emphasized.

"So," Kalinda started, going back to taking pictures. "A pickup truck is seen racing through a well-lit empty parking garage. How is a truck missed by that surveillance camera?"

"Miss marked surveillance tape?" she suggests.

Kalinda starts taking off her jacket. Alicia's eyes flick up and down the length of Kalinda's torso. "What are you doing?"

"Working," is the swift response. She starts to undo the top two buttons of her shirt. "These are better than subpoenas." Kalinda gives a small lift of her eyebrows and then gets out of the car. Alicia finds herself holding back a laugh and soon follows Kalinda into the warehouse.

Alicia watches how Kalinda flirts with the security guard, watches her flirt and cajole and can't help but be relieved that she has yet to hear that tone because it means that she has at least one person who has been mostly honest with her and something that she's discovered is that honesty is a commodity more treasured than gold.

And Kalinda is _good_ at this.

She leans in. "Why did my husband fire you?" Alicia wants to know.

"He accused me of working two jobs."

"Were you?"

She gets a smirk in return. Her heart skips a beat (it's the walking). "Oh yeah."

They follow the security guard back to his office. They look at the video of that night, but it's as the prosecution said. Kalinda manages to charm her way into receiving some copies of the various security videos. Alicia does some charming of her own because she may not be able to sweet talk guards, but she knows how to talk to proud grandparents. They hear the guard screaming for the tapes.

"Is he always so charming?' Alicia deadpans.

"Oh, he's just a lazy mall cop. He spends half the day surfing porn and with the night shift he can't get his skinny ass out of his chair." At that Alicia's eyes narrow slightly. "I'm always getting him up in the morning."

She wished the woman a nice day and then went in search of Kalinda. She might have a few new hints about what could be happening with the security tapes.

* * *

><p>She comes back home in time for dinner. It's normal, albeit a bit awkward. The kids talked about their day, how they were fitting into their new school. There was a conspicuous absence of talk about after school, but she would talk to them individually about how they were dealing with their grandmother and try to smooth ruffled feathers.<p>

She and Jackie did the dishes, and what ensued was yet another frustrating conversation with Jackie. Jackie went on and on about what Peter needed and how brave he was (conveniently forgetting that everything that's happening to Peter was because of his own making. He's reaping what he sowed, and somehow the poison became air-born and is affecting their children just as much.).

"He needs you to forgive him Alicia."

"Jackie, I spent 15 years doing his laundry. Cleaning his house. Never asking a single question because I didn't know I needed to. But he took everything I thought we had and just put it out there for everyone."

"He didn't want that. The press-"

"Oh Jackie stop!" she exclaims, fed up with Jackie's unwillingness to take off her blinders and see the situation for what it really is.

"It takes time Alicia. He's your soulmate, you have to forgive him. Give it time." Alicia wished she didn't need Jackie so much but she does and she has to live with it.

"All my time now is for them," she said, pointing in the direction of Zach and Grace's rooms.

* * *

><p>The next day she interviews the wife. She's nervous because while she was in court just the other day, most of the decisions were made without her even saying a word. She's' only able to stop her hands from shaking because of the poker face she's perfected throughout the last few months.<p>

It's a _disaster_. Every time she starts on a line of questioning, Brody objects and the judge sides with Brody. He didn't even have to give a _reason_ for the objection, the judge always sided with Brody.

"Keep trying Mrs. Florrick, you'll hit on it," was Judge Cuesta's sarcastic response.

She's able to ask only one question before Brody objects. She has nothing left that she can ask, so she sits down and stops questioning. Jennifer hands her a note. She opens it, seeing the words CALM DOWN. She knows it's not from Jennifer, timid and frightened, who can barely hold a conversation without stuttering. She turns around to see Kalinda in the audience, giving her a look. She takes a deep breath, holds it for a few seconds, and then exhales. The tension in her shoulders loosens and she no longer feels as if the only thing preventing her from trembling is only sheer force of will.

Next is the Prosecution's turn to cross examine the reporting police officer. It's the nail in the tire that's the problem. No carjacker would put a nail in a tire, because how would they steal a car with a flat tire? She doesn't have an answer to that yet, and the first rule of law is to never ask a question you don't already have the answer to. So, she asks what she already knows.

"In police circles, what is "the pit"?"

That gets a double take from the Prosecution. "Objection Your Honor!"

"On what grounds?" Judge Cuesta inquired.

"On the grounds that…. relevance?" Alicia caught them unawares. She's smirking inside, just a little. She's still rusty but there is a reason she clocked the most billable hours at her old firm.

"We'll see how relevant this becomes, shall we? Detective." was Cuesta's response, nodding at the officer to respond.

"The pit is police slang for evidence thought to be irrelevant at a crime scene."

"So when an officer's referring to dropping something in "the pit" or "pitting it," he refers to what?" She's actually been able to say more than one sentence without being interrupted and she's starting to build momentum (she _can_ do this).

"Excluding it from the crime scene narrative. But that only applies to irrelevant details. We wouldn't exclude pertinent evidence."

"Was anything pitted from the Lewis crime sc-"

"Your Honor objection!" Wow, 6 whole sentences before Brody interrupted her.

They all proceeded into the judge's chambers. Once again the Prosecution and the judge argue among themselves, only this time she _uses _it. She purposefully keeps silent this time, let's Brody step on his own foot because Cuesta forgets how much he hates Peter when he doesn't have a reminder.

It's been a while, but she's learning.

She waits until they _have _to listen to what she says and they turn to her, their argument is stalling and now they actually need to hear her input for it to go anywhere , "Mrs. Florrick," Cuesta starts. "None of this was in the first trial. Is it your decision to pursue a new defense?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Both Brody and his colleague turn to stare at her. There's a beat, and everyone is silent.

Quickly, Brody starts in on a rant about Peter, how he's corrupt and feeding her information and everything happening is Peter's fault. Peter mentioned that there might be something to find, but the never said what or where. Peter never told her about the missing staple. That was solely Alicia.

Blaming this on Peter is almost working to her advantage because all it does is manage to make Cuesta angry. Cuesta orders for the evidence to be released to her by Monday, and she is left with a warning. Make sure she is doing this on her own. Peter is not to be involved.

* * *

><p>Alicia heads back to the courthouse. She updates Kalinda on what happened in the judge's chambers.<p>

Problem is she forgot to update two of the people that mattered most.

She walks into Diane's office and takes a seat. Diane and Will loom above her (at this height, Alicia notices Diane has black ink curling around her right index finger, but she's wearing a ring and can't discern what the words say), "Your directive was simple. Follow with the strategy of the first trial. Instead, you are pushing for evidence that might not even help your case," Diane reprimands

"I interviewed the first jury, and they voted 11 to 1 to convict," Alicia tries to explain

"Excuse me, that's not true. It was evenly split," was Diane's swift response, almost looking for a fight.

"No. Half the jurors switch their votes when they can get wrong a troubled juror to deliberate. So," she pauses, not entirely sure how to proceed. "I used my judgment change strategies."

"And was it your judgment not to update us?"

Diane talks about them as if they are one cohesive unit, but so far Will has been noticeably silent.

She heads back to her office, giving Jennifer the pictures of her daughter she had Kalinda procure. It's good to see her smiling. Somehow (Alicia isn't entirely sure exactly) Kalinda got the grandparents to allow a phone call between Jennifer and her daughter. The phone starts to ring, and looks but Sonia is nowhere to be found. She rushes over to her assistant's desk and transfers the call herself.

She hears someone call, "Alicia!"

She turns around and sees Kalinda walking toward her. Kalinda comes in close and _God_ is Kalinda short; Alicia's wearing flats today and Kalinda is wearing boots but even still Kalinda needs to reach up to be comprehensible. A shiver goes up her spine (it's Chicago in the fall, it's alwayschilly). "It's dog hair."

Alicia is confused, not understanding the non sequitur. Kalinda looks around before jerking her head towards the elevator. Once they get outside, Kalinda starts to explain. "The pitted evidence. I talked to a friend at the crime lab. They gave me a preview of the evidence."

"A _preview_?" she injects. They continue walking and Alicia

"It's dog hair." Kalinda continues. "Found on the victim's clothes. The cops pitted it because they found dog hair in the victim's residence and thought it was the same."

"But it's not?" Alicia guesses.

"It's from an Italian greyhound. Neither Michael nor Jennifer had greyhounds." Kalinda takes out her little orange notebook from her black leather jacket and starts flipping through the pages. "There's also a chemical on the hair. Alco Ectolin- a lotion for muscle and joint pain."

"That's the chemical number?" she asks, voice tinged with disbelief.

"No, his cell phone number- I agreed to drinks." Alicia grins and chuckles, shaking her head.

"So we're looking for an arthritic greyhound owner."

"We? I heard you're being bumped to second chair." Alicia slows down, then stops altogether.

"When?" she asks, desperation in her voice (she _needs_ this job).

"End of tomorrow. Cary's being transitioned in. And he'll go back to the first trial strategy."

"Wow," she breathes. Kalinda nods then walks back to SLG, claiming her car is in the building and she's going to her date with the crime lab technician.

She's walking back to her car when she wonders why Kalinda gave her the warning. Her own _assistant_, who is paid to listen specifically to Alicia, won't even lift a finger for her because Sonia would rather aid the hungry, eager young lawyer (who at this point Alicia admits is more likely to win). And yet, Kalinda went out of her way to make sure Alicia would know that she was being taken off the case, went out of her way to discover the pitted evidence for Alicia before she was taken off the case and Alicia can't but wonder _why_. Why would the firm's investigator who, from what she can tell, has a completely stable job (even if she was working two jobs, it must have been tough for Peter to fire her), help out a first year associate that (honestly) probably won't make it past 6 months at the rate she's going.

It doesn't make any sense, and she's wary. Alicia's been hurt one too many times to blindly trust Kalinda's intentions are entirely pure.

And yet, she wants to. It feels nice- knowing someone has her back, knowing that Kalinda is willing to give her an opportunity. Kalinda is giving her - not the State's Attorney's wife, not the scorned wife of a corrupt politician, but _Alicia_ a chance to prove what she can do.

(It's telling how sad her life has become that one of the only people who have yet to express an agenda is one petite (beautiful), larger than life investigator that she's only known for a few days. The other is Will, but they've been friends for years, and even still he's put her into a competition for her the with some kid who is the textbook definition of 'kiss-ass,' and at the first sign of conflict he didn't utter a word in her defense.)

Alicia's not used to people looking at her and only seeing her. But somehow Kalinda does.

She has one shot left, one chance to get this right and stay as first chair. She remembers the comment the woman at the warehouse made about the guard always sleeping, so she's playing out a hunch. Alicia's not usually a gambler, but there's no helping it this time. This is the definition of a Hail Mary Pass if there ever was one (a sports metaphor; Will would be proud).

When she gets home she pours herself a glass of wine and studies each video individually (tuning out Jackie's nattering in the process), but there isn't anything in them that would indicate any irregularities. So, she has Zach play two of the videos simultaneously (thank God he didn't inherit her technology skills, or lack of) and she notices a discrepancy. They were the same thing every time for three nights in a row, including the night of the murder. A paper bag is in every single video, blowing through the air in the exact same pattern. _Finally_ she thinks. _Something concrete, not just circumstantial._ Something that the prosecution can't object to and win. It isn't enough to call for a dismissal, but it's enough for reasonable doubt and for the jurors to at least discuss the possibility a not-guilty verdict.

* * *

><p>She rips the security guard apart, and it's <em>wonderful.<em> He's left a stuttering mess and the looks of shock on the Prosecution's faces aren't hurting either. She's supposed to be some washed up scorned wife, and yet she just annihilated their star witness.

But, she doesn't want to ruin the security guard, just his testimony. "I understand, sir. You didn't willfully mislead the police."

"Yeah, that's correct."

"It's just that it gets cold out there, and sometimes you don't make the circuit of the lot."

"Yes."

She has him. "So on the nights that you don't go out, you don't record the actual surveillance image, you set your computer up to duplicate the night before, just in case your manager checks it." It's not a question.

"Yes," he responds again.

"Just to be clear, there is no recording the night of the murder. And you were never there to see or not see the pickup truck, or the carjacker."

"I'm sorry," he leans into the microphone. "Yes."

She can hear the whispers of the jury. This certainly shook up their expectations.

Alicia barely holds back a small smirk. After 13 years, she had forgotten just how exhilarating the law could be. She's never experience anything in the world that could inspire such a head rush. She is still furious with Peter (and might not ever stop, but she doesn't want to think of that, not right now) but for one small moment, she finds herself not caring about his betrayal when she feels such satisfaction at this victory. The war isn't over yet, but at least their odds are still going up.

Alicia turns around to head back to her seat and sees both Will and Kalinda in the back of the courtroom. Will winks at her, and she should find herself caring, but all she can see is Kalinda's approving nod and small but genuine smile, all for her. She doesn't realize how much she had wanted to see that smile until now. She finds herself grinning back, and for the first time in months it doesn't feel like a chore.

* * *

><p>She heads back to Stern Lockhart Gardner to review her notes. She's destroyed the prosecution's star witness, but it's not enough for reasonable doubt, not yet. Although her performance is enough to save her position as first chair (and possibly her standing in the competition). The nail in the tire is also their proverbial nail in their coffin. By now the evidence is shaping up in her favor, but she still needs another possible suspect.<p>

She speaks to Will about possible routes to take, and she flashbacks to Georgetown. He may be wearing a suit now, but he still has a baseball in his hand and she is reminded of simpler times (she's always wondered what would have happened if she hadn't met Peter). So is Will, even though his memory of that train wreck of a mock trial is laughably shaky. He probably blacked it out. God knows she'd tried. It's funny how the things she worried over then are so inconsequential in hindsight.

"It just doesn't feel like a carjacking," Will states. "It feels like a murder meant to look like a carjacking."

She mulls that over. "What if I don't fight it?" she proposes.

"What, agree that it was just a murder?" Alicia nods. She forgot to update the partners once. It's not going to happen again. "Then the jury needs a suspect."

Before they can say anything more, the woman who is supposed to be her assistant walks in the doorway (no doubt trying to get into Alicia's good graces, even if Cary has been deemed the one most likely to stay at SLG. _Maybe seeing a 1__st__ year chatting with the boss made her worry, even if she is just another wife of a corrupt politician_ she thinks bitterly)

"Hi Mrs. Florrick," Sonia starts, looking a little hesitant (_she should_). "I just wanted to say congratulations I heard you did well in court today."

Alicia tries to smile at her, but it comes out more of a tight-lipped grimace than anything else. "Thanks Sonia," she replies, not letting this small blip ruin her day.

From the corner of her eye she sees Cary walking through the hall, not even bothering to look up from his phone. "Sonia," he calls, and no surprise of course she follows Cary out. So much for _sharing_ an assistant (she'd be shocked to learn if Cary had siblings.)

It's getting late, and Will has a meeting with some clients in the morning. He's in the doorway about to leave when Alicia sits up, an idea starting to form. "Something just doesn't seem right. Michael has dinner with his first wife."

"Right."

"He tells Jennifer he misses her, thinks that he made the wrong choice and that he misses their old life together."

"Right," Will responds again, confusion coloring his voice. He's still not seeing where she's going.

"What does Cindy think about it?"

"The second wife?" He smirks, comprehension in his gaze. "Cindy thinks some unhappy thoughts."

She shakes her head and bites her lip. "Jury liked her."

"Get them not to." He walks away, still messing with the baseball on his way out.

She smiles (surprisingly, she's been doing that a lot of that lately). Cary may have Sonia's help, but she has someone infinitely better. She reaches for her phone and scrolls through her contacts until she finds the letter K. She hits the call button.

After a few moments she hears, "Hey, what's up?"

"I need your help with something, are you free?"

* * *

><p>She heads to the courthouse the next day bright and early. Kalinda is waiting for her in the lobby, information already in hand.<p>

"What did you get on Cindy's brother?" She asks, walking towards court.

Kalinda holds up a bundle of papers. "These are his employment records," she states without any fanfare. Alicia is impressed at her expediency.

"Good. What about the lab report?"

Kalinda turns a page in the file "Here. But they're gonna object the whole way," she advises. "You'll need to string together some information togeth-"

She's cut off by an all-too familiar voice, unfortunately. "Mrs. Florrick! Do you have a moment" is called across the room.

Glenn Childs descends down the staircase and once again into her life.

Childs clearly wants to have a conversation alone, but Kalinda still looks to her, making sure that it's alright to leave. It's a simple action, completely without guile or an agenda, and it endears Kalinda to Alicia more than a thousand empty promises could ever do (she would know, in the last 6 months she's had enough of them for a lifetime). Alicia knows that if she would ask, Kalinda would stay. After all the lies and the manipulations and deceptions she's not used to such straightforwardness. It's not an unpleasant feeling.

She lightly places her hand on Kalinda's shoulder (she can feel the warmth of Kalinda's shoulder even through the leather) and softly tells her, "It's ok."

It's odd -someone caring about her wellbeing. There's a fluttering in her stomach again (she's going to talk to the man who destroyed her family; he's dangerous and who knows what else he has on Peter). Kalinda stares at her for a few moments more before walking away.

Child starts, "I'm Glenn Childs. I don't think we've ever met before-"

"We've met," Alicia interjects.

"You know he's using you, don't you?"

Alicia doesn't take her eyes off Childs, doesn't follow Kalinda's departure with her eyes but she listens to the sound Kalinda's boots make until they are no longer discernable from the usual bustle of the courthouse. It's only been a few days but she's already memorized the sound, the tap tap tap of heels on tile.

He continues, "Peter blames me for his downfall. He's using you to get to me."

She scoffs. These self-righteous men, acting as if she is just an intermediary for Peter. She's doing this because she needs to provide for her family. She was top of her class, better than even Will. She may be Peter's wife but they all forget her first love was the Law. "How do you figure?" She still doesn't blink.

"Mrs. Florrick, please. He told you about the pitted trace evidence. Don't make yourself collateral damage, for your own sake," he scolded, as if he was doing this out of benevolence.

"Mr. Childs, the day you leaked that sex tape and forced me to shield my children from every cable news station that played it in a 24-hour rotation," she stared him down. "_that _was the day I became collateral damage."

He clears his throat, suddenly looking uneasy. Good. The law of nature isn't just survival of the fittest- it's never mess with a mother protecting her children.

"You're worried about my husband, Mr. Childs," she gives him a razor-tipped smile, showing teeth. "You've obviously never made a woman angry before." She watches him squirm for a few moments more. "But good luck in court." A smile can wound deeper than any other weapon.

"Mrs. Lewis, did you and the deceased sign a prenuptial agreement?"

"Yes, for tax purposes."

"So if the deceased were to divorce you, let's say, in order to reunite with his soulmate,"

"Objection."

"Sustained"

"If the deceased were to divorce you, you would be cut off from his premarital savings, is that correct?"

Brody stood up "Objection. Relevance?"

"Sustained. Move it along Mrs. Florrick," Judge Cuesta demanded

She nodded. "Mrs. Lewis, you stated in your testimony that you were in Miami at the time of the shooting visiting family, so the police never suspected or questioned you."

"Of the murder? Of course not."

"What about your brother?"

"Objection! Your Honor, come on, this whole line of questioning is a smoke screen."

"Mr. Brody, why don't we wait for a whiff of smoke before we call it a screen, please. I'll allow."

She continued on. "The police never questioned your brother, isn't that correct, Mrs. Lewis?"

"Well they had no reason to," was the immediate response.

"Because he lives in Miami?"

"Because Danny had nothing to do with this," Cindy responds defensively. _There_. She's got it. Alicia looks towards the jury and sees most of them starting to write. They have their suspect. Now, to give credence to her suggestion.

"Mrs. Lewis, the judge has admitted into evidence the buried," she catches herself as she sees Brody about to object. She holds up a hand "Strike that. The previously unreleased trace evidence. He has also admitted into evidence the crime lab's findings that these greyhound hairs were covered in a chemical compound called Alco Ectolin. Have you heard of this?"

Cindy shakes her head, confused. "The chemical? No."

"Neither had I. it is a lotion that is used at dog racing tracks to ease-"

"Objection," Brody said almost lazily.

"Sustained. And you might want to stay standing Mr. Brody. I have a feeling we're nearing your smoke screen." Cuesta wasn't wrong.

"Mrs. Lewis, isn't it a fact that a year ago at the time of the murder, your brother worked at a dog track."

She barely got the sentence out before she heard Brody yell, "Objection!"

"Sustained," Cuesta stated exasperatedly, as if he was sick of using that word so many times.

"No further questions." That's alright. It's not like last time. Her line of questioning wasn't just for the jury- it was also for the officer behind Kalinda, who decided during the investigation that the grey hound hairs weren't important. He's not dirty, he simply missed a few details. The jury can't take this into consideration, but he has no such limitations.

* * *

><p>After closing arguments, the judge sent the jury to deliberate. Alicia knows she did the best job possible, but she still finds herself worrying at her wrist. "Hey," Kalinda comes up from behind her. She splays her hand over the reddened part of Alicia's wrist, her thumb right over her pulse. Her grip is loose, hesitant. It would be easy to break her grip if Alicia wanted to pull away. Her breath hitches, ever so slightly (can she feel how fast her heart is racing? Alicia wonders. She's still nervous about the trial. That's all.). "Come on," she said, lightly tugging Alicia towards the building's exit.<p>

She's confused but she follows anyway. "Where are we going?"

"SLG tradition," Kalinda responds, voice steady. They go all the way to the crosswalk before she let's go of Alicia's wrist.

They walk into the hotel across the street and take a seat at the bar.

"You're not just making this up?" she asks, both eyebrows raised.

"Come on, it's a Stern Lockhart tradition. Your first jury trial, shot of tequila. Let's go."

Alicia picks up her glass and throws back the shot. _Damn_ it's been a while since she's had hard liquor. Then she hears "Yeah, I just made that up," and Kalinda downs her own drink.

Alicia finds herself laughing, full belly laughter. She can barely even remember the last time she'd laughed without it being at least partially forced. In spite of herself, Alicia can't help but fall under Kalinda's spell (just a little), and it helps that Kalinda's grinning right there with her (and it's genuine, completely different from the one she gave to the warehouse worker. She can't help but feel a little pride knowing that she was the one to make her laugh, even if it wasn't on purpose.)

"Sounded good though, didn't it?" Kalinda laughed, then licks her lips, trying to get every drop of tequila (she feels flushed and she's only had one drink. They be below a heating vent).

"How long do you think they'll stay out?" she's fiddling with her phone, seeing if she has any new messages, just in case.

"Oh, I stopped guessing about juries a while ago." An unreadable look comes on Kalinda's face. "How long were they out with your husband?"

She puts her phone on the bar counter. "6 hours."

They're talking about Peter, but it doesn't feel like it's about him. It's probably why she's more willing to share.

"Yeah, you know what I don't get? Why you stood by him. I would have stuck a knife in his heart."

"I always thought I would too. When I heard those other scandals, the other wives, I thought," she shakes her head, sighing. "How can you allow yourself to be used like that?"

Alicia looks at Kalinda, sees she has her undivided attention. Not judging, just listening to what she had to say. "And then it happened. And I was," she struggled to find the word. "Unprepared."

Her phone rings, but it's not the jury. It's Judge Cuesta's office.

* * *

><p>She heads over to the judge's chambers, ASA Brody already present. Cuesta quickly files in.<p>

"Well, Mrs. Florrick, Chicago PD has decided to reopen its investigation into the murder of Michael Lewis. Detective Briggs, doing an admirable amount of due diligence, has confirmed that Cindy Lewis's brother Danny had access to his employer's pickup truck the week of the murder. And the dog hairs admitted into evidence math those found at his workplace. So our State's Attorney, in his radiant wisdom has decided to withdraw the charges against your client and pursue a case against Mrs. Lewis's brother. Isn't that right Mr. Brody?" Cuesta may hate Peter, but she's getting the feeling he hates Glenn Childs just as much. "All I need is a yes or no," he interrupts, clearly tired of all their arguing.

"Yes," Brody states (through gritted teeth).

"Good," Cuesta responds. "Then we're done here.

She's done it, she's _won_. Heading down the stairs she feels like she's on top of the world, and she spots Kalinda waiting for her at the bottom. Her grin is enough of an answer to the result of the case and Kalinda smiles back in turn; brown eyes alight with something resembling warmth.

As they head towards the exit, she spies Jennifer finally holding her three year old daughter. Childs walks past, a reminder, but she's won today. She can deal with it.

They walk back to the office in silence, but it's comfortable. Kalinda leaves her at the lobby, a small but genuine smile on her lips. Kalinda gives her a nod goodbye before heading towards the stairs.

Alicia gets in the elevator to the 27th floor and is walking back to her office when her phone rings. It's that horrible ring tone (although she is getting used to it). "Hey Jackie nothing's wrong sorry I went a little late."

"I made a pot roast and was wondering if you were going to be home for dinner."

She stops walking and laughs, still high off the victory. How the tables have turned. "Nothing. That's just what I always used to say to Peter." Her phone beeps. She has a call, but it's a block number so she ignores it.

"Are you still there?"

"Yeah I just have to pick up a few things and then I'll be home. Jackie, I don't know if I've said this, but thank you, for stepping up."

Jackie may get on her nerves, but when Alicia needed her she came through.

"Of course I would, why wouldn't I?"

"I'll see you soon," she says before she hangs up.

She walks into her office, taking everything in. It's all hers, she's _earned _it. People may claim she got here on Peter's name, but she's proven to them, to herself, that she can manage on her own. She looks up and spies Will coming to her office with a bottle of wine and some good news.

"You did great," he tells her, grinning proudly.

She smiles back. "Thanks, I did didn't I?"

"Oh and one more thing. You've been made my second chair. I'll see you tomorrow at 9:30. Staff meeting."

Well at least this time she'll know what floor she should be on. "I'll be there."

She's checking her messages and has a voicemail. It's Peter. "Hey it's me. I know it's late but I just wanted to tell you, the appellate court agreed to hear my case. I still can't believe it. The lawyers think we have a really good shot at overturning this and they're gonna make an official statement tomorrow. But I just wanted to tell you first. I'll see you soon. I love you."

She isn't sure how she feels about this. She's staring at her computer screen for a long time.

She spots something in the corner of her eye at the end of her desk. It's a piece of paper, most likely from a small orange notebook. On it, in neat black script, are the words '_you did something right_.'

* * *

><p>So this is the same concept as Imprinted On My Skin, but the rules are slightly changed because for this to work I need the words to be on your skin from the day you are born, or else Alicia would know that someone born roughly the same time she was would not be her match. Also, the handwriting is not your soulmate's. Other than that, same concept.<p>

Also, keep in mind that this is the very beginning, things aren't all that different yet (although of course there were some things I changed :D and also for the most part the court cases will be the same). Hope you liked it! And please let me know what you think!


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